The victim was taken to the Ventura County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. His identification has been withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The driver remained at the scene.

There’s no word on where the victim was on the road or which direction he was riding, or which direction the driver was turning. A street view shows a two lane roadway with a parking lane on either side and a 25 mph speed limit, though that would not seem to be a factor in this case.

Anyone with information is urged to call 477-4100.

This is the ninth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second in Ventura County.

10 comments

It’s not just texting while driving; it’s fumbling with your google maps app and watching it rather than the road; it’s fumbling with Opandora, Spotify; the phone; MLB at Bat; Sirius XM , and juggling the burger, fries, and large drink.

Road riding is Russian roulette, pure and simple. The cyclist can do everything right and still be at the complete mercy of overtaking motorists the cyclist can’t control and often can’t even see. Most days, luck holds. But luck can run out at any instant.

I drove past the accident scene not realizing it was my friend Chris in the ambulance. Shockingly sad. I have yet to hear the details. He was only a half mile from home. Maybe a helmit would have helped. A wonderful friend who conscientiously biked around town rather than drive, and this was his fate. Sucks. He will be missed by many.

I found accident details on the Ventura County Star website from a CHP report. Chris was struck by a truck exiting the hardware store parking lot, fell under the vehicle and was run over by the rear wheels. “Russian roulette”–that fits. This driver must be arrested and prosecuted, as he would be had he pulled out of a driveway into traffic, hit another vehicle and killed a passenger!